Too Late
by Anastasia Athene
Summary: Sequel to I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman. Sky finds it harder to keep his emotions in check.


**Well, here it is, kids. The sequel to I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman. Um…this was kind of tough to write, so I hope you all like it. The ending gave me trouble, but I like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers. Also, I don't really know if Venus is out at 11 PM, but it worked and it's only one line in the story, so I don't care. Oh, and title and lyric are from "Too Late" by Fisher. Good song.**

**Obviously, this is Sky/Z, as it was in the former. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Too Late**

_--Did I reach for a sky that wasn't my own?--_

The sky grew darker, and so the party eventually dwindled down to just the B-Squad. When Sky's watch read 11:00, Bridge was doing a handstand for Z in the middle of the gazebo; she was trying valiantly to smile for Bridge's sake, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Jack and Syd were sitting on the porch rail, evidently deep in conversation—Sky idly wondered what exactly was going on between the two of them, but lost his train of thought when Z appeared in front of him, a vision of sunlight against the darkened sky. Surprised, he glanced over at Bridge, who was now in on Jack and Syd's conversation. All three seemed so engrossed in whatever it was they were talking about that they didn't pay any attention to Z and Sky.

"Hi," Z whispered, and Sky had no idea what to do.

"Hi," he replied simply, his voice shaking.

"Look," she said, trying to regain some of her notorious outspokenness. "I don't know what happened over there…" Her voice trailed off, and he remained silent, not knowing himself.

"I don't know what happened out there," she continued, staring off into the horizon. "But that doesn't matter, really. I just wanted to say thank you. For the dance. It was…beautiful."

He couldn't respond. He didn't know how to, didn't know if there were any words to accurately describe what had happened. A sudden, terrifying impulse to grab her and kiss her senseless coursed through his veins, and he felt his hand shake with anticipation. But Schuyler Tate did not act on impulse. Schuyler Tate was known for self-control. He had been trained. And though it seemed like the hardest thing to do at times like these, he damn well kept his emotions in check.

Even if it nearly killed him.

So he just looked her straight in the eye—he could give her that, at least—and nodded. Her dark eyes flashed for a moment before a look of painful understanding appeared on her face, and he could have sworn he felt something inside of him die. He wanted to say something; he wanted so desperately to be a different person at that very moment, someone who knew the words, who knew what to do. More than that, he wished that there was someone who could tell him what to feel, how to feel; he'd never been much good at feeling. He knew this, though: He wanted to reach out, touch her, feel her strong hand in his again, feel the weight of her body in his arms.

But it was too late. She murmured the words, "All right," and turned. Sky noticed her shoulders stiffen as she did so, and he couldn't look at her anymore. He heard her announce a desire to go to bed; she was "really freakin' tired" and had the morning shift, anyway.

Syd asked if she wanted anyone to go with her, but the girl in yellow politely refused, and Sky looked up just in time to see her offer a small smile to Bridge, who had eagerly raised his hand.

"Sorry," she said quietly to him. "I just want to be alone for a little while and think. You understand."

Bridge did understand, it turned out. Sky knew he would—his roommate was pretty easygoing, and the whole being a psychic and all, he suspected that the younger boy could relate.

What Sky did forget was that Bridge, being a psychic, was also very perceptive. So when Z, already on the grass surrounding the little gazebo, turned her head to cast an intense, golden gaze into his eyes, Bridge noticed. The green Ranger's eyebrows perked up, and he stared at Sky questioningly. Sky only glared in response, knowing that Bridge was probably going to ask him a million questions that he didn't particularly feel like answering. At Sky's glare, Bridge winced, but turned to look at Z, who was walking slowly down the path towards the Academy, her skirt shifting in the night wind.

_Go after her, _Bridge's eyes said, and Sky hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was too late.

The stars were silent as Venus glowed a fading yellow in the twilight sky.

Sky ran down the gazebo steps and refused to look back.

**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


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